98th ESA Annual Meeting (August 4 -- 9, 2013)

August 03 - 09, 2013

IGN 16

Conversation on the Future of Ecology

With global environmental challenges looming and ecological literacy in crisis, it is imperative that the ESA community think collectively about how to marshal the talents of present and future ecologists and citizens towards global sustainability. To catalyze conversations on the future of ecology and the changing diversity and mandate of the ESA, we have invited ESA leadership to share their past experiences and visions for the future of the discipline and practice of ecology. The session is structured around three mini-conversations designed to ignite a larger conversation on the future of ecology: six speakers, forming three pairs, are allocated 30 minutes a pair, with each partner of a pair giving his or her 5-minute ignite talk, then both participating in a 5-minute dialogue and a 15-minute interactive session with the audience. The past-President and current President of ESA will consider What is your vision of the future of ecology and ESA’s role in shaping it? The past-past-President and President-Elect of ESA will discuss What is your vision of how ecological research can best inform policy and behavioral change and what can ESA do to help achieve this? The Vice-President of Education and Human Resources and the Student Section Chair will address What is your vision of how to enhance ecological literacy and how can ESA help inform public decision-making? The audience will be invited to share their responses to these questions in a 30-minute facilitated discussion, which will be synthesized into a publication to jumpstart Centennial 2015 reflections and visioning.